Toe drag of the night award.https://t.co/aSMi4zrAZE
— NHL (@NHL) March 20, 2016
Milan Michalek put on a show Saturday, scoring his first goal as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Michalek strategically toe-dragged around Buffalo Sabres defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo before firing a shot through goaltender Chad Johnson.
The goal was the final dagger in the Maple Leafs' 4-1 victory. Michalek now has a combined seven goals and 13 points in 39 games split between the Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
The Montreal Canadiens made history Saturday, but they'd rather not have.
The shorthanded-happy Ottawa Senators scored three times while down a man, something that hadn't been done against the Canadiens. Ever.
First time in #Habs history they give up 3 shorthanded goals against in a single game.
— Marc Antoine Godin (@MAGodin) March 20, 2016
The Senators came into the game with a league-leading 12 shorthanded goals, and they're up to 15 now. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, in particular, is feasting on Montreal. He has four goals against the Canadiens this season, and three of them are shorties.
Montreal's now allowed 11 shorthanded goals, second-most in the NHL. They lost 5-0.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have their eyes on James Reimer's potential replacement.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported during "Saturday Headlines" that the Maple Leafs are the front-runner for goaltender Mantas Armalis.
According to Friedman: "A couple teams, Toronto believed to be among them, and Carolina, but Toronto is believed to be the favorite, for a Lithuanian, Swedish trained goaltender named Mantas Armalis."
The 23-year-old currently resides with Djurgardens IF of the Swedish Hockey League. In 34 games this season, Armalis has a 2.42 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
On Mantas Armalis: Lithuanian-born, Swedish trained goalie who doubles as, yes, a male model. Big guy (6'3-ish), having a strong year...
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 20, 2016
Armalis is certainly getting his looks, if not only because he is also a male model.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
The New York Rangers left San Jose on Saturday evening a mix of embarrassed and humbled.
The Sharks pounded the Blueshirts 4-1, and the Rangers were saying the right things after the game, which saw Henrik Lundqvist mercifully pulled in the third period.
The Rangers were outshot 52-26, and the score was respectable only because of Lundqvist, who stopped 43-of-47 shots before Alain Vigneault gave him a breather - it was a 1-1 game after 40 minutes due to Lundqvist, after all.
"That type of game at this time of year ... is garbage," Marc Staal said, according to Newsday's Steve Zipay. "It was ugly. We're trying to make plays and they're not there. Just fighting it all over the ice."
Captain Ryan McDonagh, Staal's teammate on the blue line, went even further.
"It seemed guys weren't willing to compete hard, and that's a very hard thing to say, but you have to admit it sometimes, our group gave away two points, it's very uncharacteristic," he said. "We left (Lundqvist) out to try. The way he was competing for pucks, we weren't nearly as good as he was."
Lundqvist, the ultimate teammate, refused to throw his fellow Rangers under the bus.
"I need to make more saves, if that's the only way. There were so many big changes," he said, "I don't know what to say."
Lundqvist was asked about McDonagh's comments, and all but agreed.
"There's only one way to win hockey games and that's to play hard and smart," he said, "and if you're missing that a little bit against a good team, it's going to be tough."
The Rangers are two points up on the Pittsburgh Penguins for second in the Metropolitan Division. They've got to forget about Saturday and move on. Up next: the Florida Panthers on Monday.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Keep your head up, kid.
Montreal Canadiens rookie Sven Andrighetto looks to have escaped injury after being run over by Ottawa Senators defenseman Dion Phaneuf midway through the second period of Saturday's game.
The hit came just hours after it was reported that Phaneuf had avoided being disciplined by the league for a crushing hit on Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Reinhart.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
The NHL's draft lottery will take place Saturday, April 30, Sportsnet's Damien Cox reported during Saturday's "Headlines" segment on Hockey Night in Canada.
Under the league's new format, three draws will be conducted to determine the top three picks - a departure from the old method of a single draw determining the first overall selection.
The team with the fewest points in the regular season will no longer be guaranteed a top-two pick. Each of the 14 non-playoff clubs will be eligible for the three lotteries, and the 11 teams not selected will be assigned picks four through 14, in reverse order of regular-season points.
All seven Canadian teams entered Saturday's action outside the playoff picture.
The 2016 NHL Entry Draft will be held June 24 and 25 at First Niagara Center in Buffalo.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.